Thrifting Finds #78: Not So Thrifty!

Hello, yeah, it's been a while.  Not much, how 'bout you?

Got that song in your head now?*  YOU'RE WELCOME.

So Hi, Kids!  I just checked and it's been a while since your ol' Uncle Veg posted anything here.  Want to know why that is?  Two reasons:  we missed our usual rounds a couple of times, and when we did manage to get out, the thrifts had NOTHING.  I figured they'd be overflowing with stuff since everyone unloads their stuff at the end of the year for the tax write-off, but nope.  Maybe they're sending it all off somewhere else. I don't know.  All I know is that the pickin's have been slim.

I did find one thing, though.  It's not particularly exciting, but here 'tis:

1.  Popcorn Popper!  For a while there, I had a terrible craving for popcorn.  I have no idea where that came from.  The real kind is too messy to clean up after and the microwave kind tastes really chemically to me, so I thought I'd go back to air-popped.  P.S. It still tastes like Styrofoam.  Anyway, the Goodwill had two of these: One without the all-important measuring cup/cap, no box, no instructions for 6 bucks, and this one, with all the pieces the other one didn't have (not to mention a little bit of ooky stuff on the bottom of the other one), also six bucks.  I guess it's obvious which one I bought.  I don't think this had ever been used, as the wire tie was still around the cord.  Goodwill, $6.00

And that's it for thrift store purchases.  I'm kind of embarrassed to even show you that, since it's not even cool or vintage.

I did buy one thing this weekend, though not at a thrift store.  And a little more expensive than I'm usually willing to spring for:

Kia Sorento!  Meet Oobie.  So yeah, I really wanted to go back to having 4-wheel drive (I used to have a Kia Sportage) and I so I got it into my head, and look what I went and done.  It has all kinds of fancy features I'm not used to--backup camera, downhill brake assist (huh?), Sirius XM radio, and on and on.  And the best feature of all:  butt seat warmers!  Talk about delightful!  Where have you been all my life?  

If the Average MPG thing in the dashboard can be trusted, I'm getting the same mileage I got with my old car (Kia Rondo.  Seeing a theme here?  Hubs has a Kia Forte), but I won't be sure until after a couple of fill ups.  It's a 2012 model, by the way, and I got it at Carmax, and overall, it was a decent experience.  Word of warning, though:  when they say "no haggle", they mean it!

Picture is from the Carmax site--the weather here has been too awful to take a good picture of it.

Stuff I Didn't Buy Department

Hubs and I saw a couple of things yesterday that needed to be reported on.  Scroll down if you dare!

World's Creepiest Jack-in-the-Box!  I actually gasped and did a double-take when I rounded the corner and saw this peeking at me.  Who would want this in their house?  And is it me, or do the eyes look kinda squinty and evil?  Shudder.

You really need to embiggen this one.

WHAT IS THIS I DON'T EVEN  Words fail me.  Hubs spotted it first, and I could tell from the expression on his face that he found something...interesting.  I kept the picture kind of big so you could experience the full horror of it.  Who thought this was a good idea?

I should totally buy this and give it to someone as a gift.

Tragedy Strikes Department:

Way back at the beginning of this blog, I had some electrical boxes installed for ceiling fans.

Wellsir, I went to use the light the other day, and nothing.  Fan didn't work either.  I checked the other one in the room with both remotes, and that one's fine.  Dang.  So now I have to figure out what's wrong with this one.  I'm hoping it's something simple, 'cause it's going to be a royal pain to take it down.  It has one of those useless Lifetime Warranties--if something goes wrong, they'll send you a new part or something, but not until you uninstall it, dismantle it, and ship the whole kit 'n caboodle off to Sri Lanka or someplace.  Imagine how little I want to do that.

And that's it for this week.  Lame, I know, but at least it's something.  With any luck, we'll get to make our usual rounds next week and hopefully find something neat.  Linking up this week with  Sir Thrift A Lot, Hey What's For Dinner Mom?, and Vintage Bliss Tuesdays

EDIT:  For the youngsters out there.

Thrifting Finds #77:Purely Practical--Plus Pyrex!

Annnnnd...it's over.  All the decorations are put away, so it's like Christmas never happened.  Normally, I don't take things down until January 6 (Twelfth Night), but it was just easier to do it this past Saturday.  And I didn't want to do it on Sunday, as that was the last day of Hubs's and my 2-week vacation, and the day was depressing enough!

In good news, the thrifts were a little kinder to me this past week than usual, so I have a couple of things to report on, but first, indulge me a bit as I wax philosophical for a moment.  Or you can skip down a few paragraphs and save yourself from hearing me complain.

It's probably obvious that I love shopping.  I'm sure some of you can identify with that.  In particular, I love Christmas shopping.  "Loved" is probably a better word since

Christmas shopping isn't fun any more.

Oh, that's not to say it isn't convenient, because it undeniably is.  I did  the lion's share of my Christmas shopping online this year, and you just can't beat free shipping (the only kind I get.)

Still (and yes, I realize how stupid this is going to sound), it's not as much fun as when I was young.

Growing up in New England, you could pretty much count on there being snow on the ground starting around Thanksgiving.  We'd go downtown to Parke-Snow and R. H. White (our local department stores) and look at the elaborate display windows.  The sales floors were decorated to within an inch of their lives and to a little kid, the sparkle was nothing short of magical.

Then a quick stop at the lunch counter at Woolworth's or Grant's for some hot chocolate, and maybe a little 8-year-old shopping for Mom & Dad (wow, look at the size of that bottle of perfume!  And it's only 98 cents!)

As a rule, we'd make at least one trip to Boston and go to Jordan Marsh to get our pictures taken with Santa.  I don't remember going to Filene's--we were definitely a Jordan Marsh family.

Even when they built the new mall (Searstown), they did a wonderful job of decorating (well, except for that one unfortunate year they tried to change the Christmas colors from red and green to pink and chartreuse.  This was the late '60s, so...)

Now when you go to a mall, there's a Santa in the center court and that's about it.  Sears will throw up a faded red tinsel tree and call it good.  Department stores (meaning Macy's, because that's all that's left) will hang a few signs and that's all the effort they put into decorating.

Am I the only one who misses the Toyland that sprang up in every single store, no matter how improbable?  I'm thinking about the hardware store and the auto supply place.

It all came to a crashing halt, I think, when Woolworth's went out of business.  Once they were gone, the whole season seemed a little less Christmassy.

(And yes, I realize that the whole point of Christmas is a spiritual one, but I'm not addressing that here.  I'm only talking about shopping.  Even I'm not that insensitive!)

There was just something about Woolworth's.  All the cheap & cheerful decorations for sale, the ugly artificial trees, the lunch counter, the smell of the store...  And always, there was at least one canary flying around, an escapee from the cages in the pet department.

How I miss Woolworth's.

So that's my little Diatribe du Jour.  Thanks for sticking it out this far.  Sorry it's not very well written, but I'm trying to do this quickly at work and it's noisy in here with a lot of distractions.

On to the thrift finds!

1.  Little Golden Books!  I haven't looked too closely, but I'm pretty sure these are reprints, not the originals.  That's fine with me.  I only have two, so not a collection yet.  But I'm expecting to get more!  I got the idea to collect them from reading this book.  Goodwill, $1.62 each.

2.  Covered Vegetable Dish!  I really needed this a few days before I got it, but at least I'm set for the next time we have company.  This is completely generic--there's no mark whatsoever on it.  I think it's pretty, though, and plain enough that it will go with whatever china I'm using at the time.  Rescue Mission Thrift, $3.00

3.  Pyrex!  As promised!  This is the shape I love, and the first time I've seen it in the wild.  Does anyone know the pattern name?  The design is in perfect shape, even after pulling off the tape holding the lid on.  Pretty sure it's an 033, 1.5 quart.  Unfortunately, there's some weird stain on the handle:

Click to embiggen

Anyone know what to do about this?  I tried steel wool figuring that would work, but it had no effect whatsoever.  Then I tried Bar Keepers' Friend, but that did nothing either.  I was afraid to try anything else before asking for help.  Help!  Goodwill, $3.00

4.  Microwave!  Well, the one I was considering last week got sold, naturally, but I found this one that was reasonably clean and the right size.  One Salvation Army we went to wanted 40 bucks for a similar Sunbeam model that was missing the turntable.  I guess people don't know that without that little glass plate, the microwave is useless.  Anyway, I tried this out in the store by running out to the car and getting Hubs' water bottle, and pouring some into a glass from the shelf.  It cleaned up nicely without too much work, so I'm pleased.  Goodwill, $20.00.

I also bought a battery-operated pencil sharpener, but it turned out not to work, so I'm not posting a pic.  It was only a buck, so no biggie.

In Other News Department:  I got tired of waiting for the caster to arrive for the gift wrap cart I got last week, so I picked one up at Home Depot.  I haven't had the opportunity to use it yet, since I got it after Christmas, but I can tell you that it holds a crap ton of stuff!  That corner of the closet looks so much better now.  I consider it money well spent.

And that's it for this week, kiddies.  Sorry this is so disjointed--I'm trying to do too many things at once and I'm really not good at multitasking.

Linking up this week with  Sir Thrift A Lot, Hey What's For Dinner Mom?, and Vintage Bliss Tuesdays

Thrifting Finds #76: Happy New Year!

Well.  Did you all have a wonderful Christmas?  We sure did here at Fondue Headquarters.  There were a lot of presents, a lot of food, and a lot of family, which is just the way it's supposed to be, no?

And frankly, your ol' Uncle Veg is pooped.  I'm not going to go on about how Christmas seems to approach with the speed of a freight train, as opposed to when I was young and I thought it would never get here.  I believe that's been covered before.  But let me tell you this--Christmas comes a lot faster than it used to!

Anyway, I have a bit of a Thrift Find to report. Only one, but since Hubs and I are both off this week, we may make a few more stops.

Book!  Not a cookbook this time, but still kind of about food.  It's all about the history behind different candies, mostly regional.  It's a funny and insightful book, and if you don't have a sweet tooth, you will after reading this,  Savers, $3.00

And that's it for the thrifted finds.  We did get a couple of new things at retail, but first let me explain:

After realizing that we only have white trees in the house, Hubs and I had a discussion:  Should we alternate between white and green trees?  Or should white trees be our "thing"?  We decided that white trees would, indeed, be our thing.  So to add to the collection, I got these:

Yeah, they're super garish, but I still love them.  Love them so much, as a matter of fact, that I was willing to pay full price for them on Christmas Eve (they were the last ones left.)  At Walmart, no less.  I mean, come on Walmart--can't you start discounting on the last day of the shopping season?  Geez.

This is one of those pop-up trees that looks very "all the Whos down in Whoville..."  I like that it stores in a minimum of space, since that comes at a premium around here.  Like the trees above, this was the last one in the store (Target), but at least I got it half price.

I want to share one more thing I got.  It wasn't a gift, since I bought it myself, but I have high hopes for it.  Again, let me explain first:  I have a high tolerance for mess.  Unnaturally high, some would say.  But there are two things that send me right over the edge:  dishes in the sink, and Christmas wrapping stuff.

We keep the wrapping stuff in a big Rubbermaid container, but not all of it fits, and there are certain people who have to have every roll of paper, every bow, every roll of ribbon, every box, and every gift bag out.  I looked into getting a gift wrap cart, but they were like over $180!  But then I stumbled across this one at Bed Bath and Beyond:

It was only $120, and by signing up for emails or something, I got their usual 20% off, bringing it down to $95, and free shipping.  As I say, I have high hopes for it.  But.  And that's a big "but".  Couple of things make is not so great:  Not all the parts fit well.  I had to do a little "persuading" to get the thing together (which took forever, by the way, and I'm good at assembling things.)  One of the pieces had 4 dowels missing, so I had to wait until the next day when I could go get some replacements.  When I finally had it mostly together, I discovered that one of the casters was missing.  Geez.  On a positive note, the gal I spoke to at BB&B was very friendly and helpful and she promised to get my caster out in 7-10 days.  We'll see if that happens.  Also, I ordered this on Christmas day (Thursday) and it got here on Saturday!  

In Other News Department:  Last week's question about whether to buy a used microwave is moot:  it was gone when I went back.  So it looks like I'll get some soulless made-in-China piece of crap at Walmart.

I also decided to mount the new TV on the wall.  It was a pain to do, but I like it much better than just sitting on top of the old set:

Huh.  It looks kind of wonky in the picture, but not in person.  Tribute to my mad skillz as a photographer, I guess.

We're having The Girl Child and The Boyfriend for dinner tonight, and frankly, I'm nervous about cooking this $50.00 piece of meat.  I got a small beef tenderloin, and it intimidates me;  I have the tendency to turn meat into shoe leather.  Keep your fingers crossed for me, won't you?  Alongside, we're having roasted potatoes, broccoli, and creamed onions.

And so, before I start straightening up for company, let me take this opportunity to wish you health, wealth, and happiness in the New Year!

Linking up this week with  Sir Thrift A Lot, Hey What's For Dinner Mom?, and Vintage Bliss Tuesdays

Thrifting Finds #75: ...and to all a good night.

Whew.  Your ol' Uncle Veg has been a busy boy these last couple of weeks getting ready for Christmas.  There's been a lot of cooking and baking lately, which I'll get to in a minute but first, I have an actual Thrift Find to share with you!

Christmas Napkins!  Yes, I actually found some Christmas linens at the Goodwill.  I'm not sure how vintage they are--probably not very, but I couldn't refuse them at only 0.50 each!  I bought 8 of them.  There were 12, I think, but some of them were discolored.  There was a matching tablecloth too, but I didn't care for it.
Now here's the problem--I can't use them this year!  I'm using the Christmas tablecloth I found last Spring and my Christmas china.  I realized that if I added these napkins to the mix, it would go from "My, isn't that festive!" to "Wow, it looks like Christmas threw up all over your table!"  So maybe next year I'll use a plain white tablecloth and these napkins.

Speaking of that tablecloth, take a look:

It almost fits my table!  In fact, I think it looks pretty darn good, especially considering that my table is an odd size and no tablecloth actually fits it.  P.S.  I took the picture after I ironed it, all evidence to the contrary notwithstanding.  And please pardon the mess--Christmas is still a work-in-progress Chez Fondue.

We're going to my brother's for Christmas dinner, so I don't have to cook a big meal.  The Girl Child and The Boyfriend are coming for a belated dinner next Monday, so at least I get to use my Christmas china again, and I'll get to cook a little, at least.

Which is a strange thing to say, considering what I've been up to lately in the kitchen.

What I Made Department:

1.  An insane number, of cookies!  So far, I've made 2 batches of Cherry Jumbles, 2 batches of Platinum Blondes, two batches of Holy Crap, It's a Brownie!, and four batches of M&M cookies, with two more batches on the schedule for today. When you consider each batch is like 3 dozen cookies, that comes to...well, a lot!  I took some to work, and some went to the vet's office.  Many are for bro and his girlfriend, but there are still plenty for Hubs and me (good thing we've been going for walks lately!)

2.  Candy candy candy!  I've made two batches of peanut butter fudge (which might as well be called peanut butter crack, it's that good), a batch of chocolate fudge for Hubs, and a batch of Sponge candy for bro.  Tomorrow, I'll be making pink popcorn (AKA Mother Goose popcorn), also for bro.

I stopped counting how much sugar I've used this month.

And that's it, really, though I have a question:  I need a small microwave for work (there's only one for like 40 people and it doesn't get cleaned...)  So I was looking in the GW yesterday, and they had one for 15 bucks.  It was cleanish, but not immaculate.  Assuming it works, would you be squeamish about a used microwave?  I wasn't sure so I left it.  A new one would cost about 50 bucks.

Oh, before I go, I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas from all of us here at Fondue Headquarters!

Linking up this week with  Sir Thrift A Lot, Hey What's For Dinner Mom?, and Vintage Bliss Tuesdays

Thrifting Finds #74: It's beginning to look a lot like

Christmas!  Yay!

Please bear with me--I have a feeling there's going to be a whole lot of rambling today.  More than usual, I mean.

Okay, to get right to the heart of the artichoke, so to speak, my thrift finds this week were nothing.  Again.  I could tell you how sick I am of looking at crappy Christmas stuff, but I believe we've already covered that in depth.

So this week I'm going to talk about other stuff, mostly Christmassy!  Your ol' Uncle Veg loves Christmas, dontcha know?

In keeping with the season, I've been perusing (again) my collection of Christmas catalogs, mostly from the 60's.  We're talking the major players here--Sears, Montgomery Ward, and Penneys--as well as some Minor League names--Gamble/Aldens, Spiegel, National Bellas Hess.

There are two themes in these catalogs that just kind of surprise me.  And it's not just one company--it's all of them:

1.  His 'n Her's matching outfits.  These catalogs have tons of these outfits--matching shirts, pants, sweaters, jackets, and on and on.  Did anyone actually wear these?  I don't ever remember seeing any couples in matching clothes.  My parents never did this, nor did the parents of any of my friends.  You find this thing throughout the 60's.  Weird.

2.  Slippers.  OMG, each catalog has a section of just pages and pages of slippers--for Mom!  For Dad!  For the kids!  Dozens of selections for each member of the family.  Were cold feet a problem back then?  Were winters particularly harsh?  Was one expected to have a wardrobe of slippers?

See?  Rambling.

In other news, Hubs and I joined the 21st Century!  Those who know us know that we don't watch much TV.  Remember when I dropped FIOS TV?  Generally, we'll get a season of some old show from the library and watch a couple of episodes a night, on my vintage Zenith Avanti:

I love the set and it looks great in the den, but it's finally starting to go.  I could try to repair it myself (I've repaired TVs before, with varying success), but it seemed time to maybe upgrade a bit.  So I went out and bought ourselves a Smart TV:

It's a Samsung

Normally, I hate when my appliances are smarter than I am, but we're loving this.  There is a ton of stuff you can do with this, but so far, we've just watched DVDs and stuff on Youtube (did you know you can get the Christmas 1968 episode of Hollywood Palace on Youtube?  We'll be watching that, for sure!)  I just need to figure out what to do with it.  For now, it's on top of the Avanti, which is a look I hate.  I could mount it on the wall, or I could get a stand for it and trash the Avanti.  What do you think I should do?  Help!

What I Made Dept:

The Annual Cookie Extravaganza has officially begun!  So far, I've made three different kinds.

Cherry Jumbles!  I actually made these before Thanksgiving and stuck 'em in the freezer.

Platinum Blondes!  This picture is a retread from last year, but they look the same.  Also sitting in the freezer.

M&M Cookies!  My brother's favorite, and my Yearly Sacrifice (I hate making cookies.)  So far I've made 6 dozen, and have another 6 dozen to go.  But at least I'm halfway through, right?

By the way, I found the best cookie scoop ever.  I went to Bed Bath & Beyond looking for an Oxo scoop, but I wasn't impressed by it.  The I found this one:

It's super comfortable.  It was 10 bucks.



The House is Decorated!  Anyone who's read this blog for a while will not be surprised by the following pictures.  I have no imagination so I end up doing the same thing every year.  Hubs and I realized just yesterday that we only have white trees this year.  Not quite sure how that happened.

The Big Tree!  I don't know why it always looks pink in pictures, because it doesn't look that way in Real Life.

The Hubster's Tree!  The string of lights gave up this year and we had to replace it with LEDs, which I'm not crazy about.  They're too bright for one thing, and the colors seem a little "off" to me.  Here's a closeup of the 

Toys Under the Tree!  My goal is to turn this into a vintage toy tree, but until I have enough miniatures, they'll just go under the tree.  Most are Hallmark ornaments, with a few others thrown in.  The Chatty Cathy talks--even makes the "string pulling" noise!  The record player plays "Rudolph".  Loud.

You've Seen This Before!  Shiny Brites in the urn, my Dollar Store candle shade, and the talking Santa pillow I fixed.  If you look closely, you can see the decoration Hubs made when he was just a little tad.  Cute?  I'll say!

Hohman, IN!  This year, I got to put up my Christmas Story houses 'n things.  These are already a few years old, and far superior the the ones they're selling now.  I'm really glad I got them when I did.  Sorry for the crappy picture--I was using the zoom feature on my phone.

Basho and Tinkles!  They wish you the Merriest of Christmases!!

My Cubicle!  Not many people seem to decorate around here, but I thought I'd bring a little cheer to the office, so I made this.  I don't know if you can tell, but there are lights in it.  Other than the wreath itself (4 bucks on sale at Michael's), everything came from the Dollar Store.  I used a lot of hot glue...

And that's about all I can think of for this week.  I think I used more pictures in this post than in any previous one, even though there are no actual thrift purchases.  I guess that says something, but darned if I know what!

Linking up this week with  Sir Thrift A Lot, Hey What's For Dinner Mom?, and Vintage Bliss Tuesdays

Thrifting Finds #73: Just like Yvonne De Carlo

I'm still here.

Because Yvonne De Carlo sang I'm Still Here?  In Follies?  Remember?

Anyone?

Bueller?

How was your Thanksgiving?  Ours was lovely--there were eight of us, which is a nice, manageable number.  Unfortunately, I offered the leftovers to our guests and everyone took me up on the offer!  There was hardly anything left but two drumsticks (nobody likes 'em.)  I mean, the whole point of doing Thanksgiving is to have leftovers.  That's the last time I make that offer, I tell ya.

The menu was simple:  Turkey:

Beautiful, no?  I rub mayonnaise on it before roasting.

Mashies, gravy, dressing, sweet potatoes. broccoli & cheese casserole, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce (with ridges) and rolls.  Just the basic stuff, heavy on the carbs.

And I got to use the new Corningware roaster I got a while back.  Worked great, and it was incredibly easy to wash, too.

So I had no idea I had been gone for so long; almost a month.  And the reason is that the thrifts have yielded absolutely nothing.  Zilch.  Nada.  They all seem to have a ton of stuff, but nothing worth actually buying.

Naturally, I've been looking for Christmas stuff, but it's all Walmart and Dollar Tree crap.  I am so sick of that stuff, aren't you?  Where are the Shiny Brites that other people are finding?  Where are all the cool Napco pixies?  Where are the knee-huggers? Huh?  Where?

Not here, that's for dang sure.

And another thing (can you tell there's a rant coming?)  I think whoever's doing the pricing at the Westminster Goodwill is certifiably insane.  Not only are the prices outrageous, but get this:  they put these bigass price stickers on each individual Christmas ornament.  Can you imagine?  You can barely get them off something that can go in the dishwasher; if you try to peel one off an ornament, it's completely ruined.  Be interesting to see how many they sell.

Saturday, there was a little basket of seashells that someone had collected on the beach.  Not big, exotic shells, just common, ordinary ones. Each one had a price sticker on it.

As I said, insane.

But it's not all bad news and grumping!  Nosiree.  'Tis the season and all that, so I'm trying to be my jolly best.

So though I have no official Thrifting Finds to report this week, I do have this, which is actually an ebay purchase:

Mattel Santa Claus Patter Pillow!  I've wanted one of these for quite some time, but they generally go for more money than I'm prepared to pay, especially if it's working. This one was fairly cheap, though he didn't talk.  So I opened him up, un-stuffed him, washed him, fixed his voice box, and then re-stuffed him and sewed him back up and made a new pompom for his hat (it's not actually sewed on in the picture, but you can't tell.  Special Effects!!)  If anyone wants, I'll make a little video of him talking.  I really love this lil' fella.

What I Made Dept:

Gallons and Gallons of Turkey Soup!  It doesn't look like much here, but there was another big container of it cooling on the balcony.  This is what I used the drumsticks for.  Delish.

Homemade Vanilla Extract!  Sharp-eyed readers will remember when I started this about a month ago.  Wellsir, it was finally ready so I decanted it into the original vodka bottle.  Smells good, though I'm not sure how it tastes.  We'll find out soon enough, when I start my Cookie Extravaganza.

And that's all for this week.  Since it's been a while, I'm going to go ahead and link up with the Usual Suspects.  I think that'll be okay, don't you?  Sir Thrift A Lot, Hey What's For Dinner Mom?, and Vintage Bliss Tuesdays

Thrifting Finds #72: Randoms

Hiya, kids!  This week's post is going to be even more random than usual, I'm afraid.  Actual thrifting finds were few (again), but I have a couple other minor things to share, so let's get down to it, shall we?

No, wait.  I want to complain about something first.  Huge surprise, no?  Anyway, I'm reading through all the sale flyers in the Sunday paper, but have you noticed that the latest thing seems to be "buy one, get the second at 50% off"?

That just really irritates me.

Most of the time, I don't need two of something.  And when you do the math, each item ends up being 25% off, which I don't consider much of a sale, do you?  It's not until you hit a 40% discount that I start listening up and paying attention.

Sorry.  I'll try to keep it under control from now on.

Anyway, on to the finds 'n stuff!

1.  Tupperware!  Sharp-eyed readers will remember that I bought a Rubbermaid jar a couple of weeks ago for toting my half & half to work.  Unfortunately, if I don't remember to take the durn thing home on Friday, I'm out of luck come Monday*.  So this is a backup.  I think it's some kind of diet shake maker, as there's an insert that looks like it's there to break up the lumps.  Goodwill, $0.50.  I think that's the first time I've seen anything for less than a buck at the GW.

*So this morning, I tried using the half & half that was left over from last week.  While it tasted okayish, the coffee was really quite...chunky is the only way I can describe it.  Not good.

2.  Eydie!  I like Eydie (and Steve, too), but she's not someone whose albums I ever felt the need to own (other than the Christmas album.) This was staring at me from the front of one of the record bins, so what was I supposed to do?  I still don't ever look through the records, but if a good one is staring me in the face, well...  Plus--and this is probably going to be the gayest thing you'll hear all day--look at that hair!  Miss G. is rockin' a truly Marlo-grade flip.  You might not be able to tell from the picture, but take my word for it.  Unfortunately, some wear on the jacket makes it look like her cleavage is dirty.  And that makes me giggle.  And one of the songs is...are you sitting?...I Walk the Line.  Anyone else think that's kind of an odd choice?  Goodwill, $1.00

What I Didn't Buy Dept:

Not creepy.  Not creepy at all...

Update Dept:

Electromatic Tray:  Couple of weeks ago, I got a Corningware Electromatic heating tray sans cord.  I lamented that the cord I had didn't fit it.  Well, it finally hit me that I'm kind of an idiot.  What I was using was just some random cord I had in my kitchen drawer.  Once I tried an official Electromatic cord, it fit perfectly.  And the tray got nice and hot, so this officially becomes a  five-dollar score!

The Coffee Situation at Work:  Back at my old job, I would make coffee every morning in my West Bend Fiesta Perk (which you can see Mary Richards using in an episode of season two of the Mary Tyler Moore show.  How sad is it that I know this?)  Unfortunately, there are no dish washing facilities close by here, so that wasn't going to work.  I could join the Coffee Club, but it's Keurig-based, and I think I've complained about that before.  So then I got the Regal Poly Pot and tried making instant coffee, and youall heard how well that worked out.  So I finally thought that I should just get a non-Kcup coffee maker (think I can't make this story any longer?  Think again!)  So I went online and found the Black & Decker Brew 'N Go:

Which got really good reviews at Amazon, Walmart, and Target.  So I went ahead and ordered it from Target because it was like 10 bucks cheaper than Amazon.  Oh, and free shipping?  Yes, please.  It came to 17 dollars and change after sales tax.

Youall may know that I'm not the most patient person in the world, so when I stumbled across a different machine that I could just go to the store and buy, that's exactly what I did.

This little baby was nine bucks at Wally World and to be honest, I didn't have much hope that it would work.  Boy, was I wrong!  This cheap little machine makes a nice hot cup of coffee, which is kind of a pet peeve of mine.  I can only drink coffee if it's practically scalding.  It also makes a 12-ounce cup, which is a decent size.  And there's a little shelf thing so you can make coffee in a regular mug or in a travel mug.  Word to the wise:  If you get one of these, try to find a mug that fits as close as possible to the basket, as there's some splashing.  This isn't a problem at home, but at work I like to keep my desk reasonably splatter-free.  Also, some of the reviewers said that the power button is hard to push.  It does require a certain amount of determination, but overall, not a big deal.

So I guess I'm going to give the Black & Decker to someone as a Christmas present.  Or maybe I'll keep it as a spare.

What I Made Dept:

In a word, vanilla!  I got the idea from Coleen over at Coleen's Recipes.  I decided to try it because it's a simple process, there are only two ingredients involved, and I really like high-quality vanilla.  I used to be able to get Mexican vanilla in the Latino section of the supermarket, but all I can find lately is Mexican imitation vanilla.  Really?

So here's what I started with:

Coleen's instructions call for a quart of vodka, but I determined that that much vanilla extract would outlive me, so I decided to cut the recipe in half.  The beans came from Amazon, the vodka from the liquor store, and the shaker from the Goodwill.  Basically, you cut the beans into half-inch pieces (TIP:  Use kitchen scissors) and soak 'em in the vodka for a month.  When you're done, strain through a coffee filter.

Here's what it looks like after just one week:

Isn't that crazy?  It's so dark already that light doesn't shine through it.  And it smells really good.  I probably should have started this earlier, since Christmas Baking Season is fast approaching, but better late than never, or something like that.

Now let's do a little math.  The beans were 12 bucks, the vodka was 5, and the shaker was a buck-and a half, for a total expenditure of $18.50.  Assuming I get 15 ounces of vanilla out of this (I'm guessing the beans are going to absorb some of the vodka), that comes to $1.23 an ounce.  I think it would have been cheaper if I made a whole quart (4 ounces of beans would be 18 bucks), but the price seems okay to me, as long as it tastes good.  McCormick vanilla was on sale at Weis for $2.00 an ounce, but I don't know if that's high, low, or the going rate.  Anyone?

And that's all I've got for this week.  You're probably tired of reading anyway, right?  Linking up this week with Sir Thrift A Lot, Hey What's For Dinner Mom?, We Call It Junkin  and Vintage Bliss Tuesdays